Last week, Microsoft began shipping the finished version of Windows Phone 8 to hardware manufacturers and its other partners. This puts Nokia, the once glorious Finnish mobile phone manufacturer in the clear for releasing the first Windows Phone 8 device. It is rumored that the company will be announcing the next version of the Lumia series at the Nokia World event in the first week of September and in all likelihood, will be releasing the first devices into the market in the same month. In addition, there are several rumors about the release of the next version of the iPhone from Apple which might be announced on September 12 and released on September 21st. Usually, Apple keeps the time period between announcement and release very small and Nokia might want to do the same in order to capitalize on the sales for the holiday season.
In addition to these two, several mobile phone companies are looking to release big news in September as it is the right time to introduce a new product into the market before the holidays kick start. Last year, various manufacturers including Apple and Google displayed impressive sales results during the season. The sales for smartphones hit an all-time high and this time Nokia will be looking to get in on the action. However, Nokia has to work its plan right as the arena is open for everyone and competition will be stiff. The best bet for Nokia is to keep the time between the announcement and release of the next Lumia as small as possible.
Last quarter, the Finnish company’s flagship phone, the Lumia sold around 4 million units. This might be a small number when compared to the sales of the iPhone or other Samsung devices but it is a significant achievement considering that the phone was available only in limited markets and only via contract on AT&T. Moreover, it appears as though AT&Ts efforts in marketing the Lumia were not up to the mark according to anecdotal evidence.
The new Lumia device holds a lot of promise as Windows Phone 8 offers more freedom than the predecessor. For example, there are no hardware restrictions, which gives Nokia more options in terms of processors and the like. Coupled that with the fact that Nokia’s spending on marketing has increased, it will be interesting to see how the company fares in the coming weeks. The positive speculation has also boosted Nokia’s shares by a whopping 10% in European markets.
